010: in 130, sunday after sunday, elderly woman would shuffle into church with a handbag in one hand and a tambourine in the other. every week. that spoke a lot to me. it taught me that no matter how bad your past week has been, you still have something to sing about. shout out to all the mothers of zion who sing from their hearts no matter what life throws at them. rest in peace to all the tambourines that got slapped-up sunday after sunday.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
009: i get asked about where i get my character from. it's hard talking about my upbringing without talking about 130 church road. i've been going to this place nearly every sunday since i was in the buggy. everywhere surrounding 130 was a land for the fatherless. 130 taught you how to be a man. it was here where i learnt how to speak publicly, teach, think critically, love. it was only a small plot of land in church road, but some of my life defining moments happened there. forever grateful to the 130, also known as beulah. you made me the human i am today.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
008: i studied scriptwriting a while back. one of the most profound things i learnt was that the settings in a film can be as much of a character as the characters themselves. the setting, somehow, shapes the character's lives. it moulds their story. grim settings produce grim characters. happy-go-lucky settings produce happy-go-lucky characters.
there are, however, exceptions to the rule. and it's those exceptional characters that actually drive the story forward, whether they are a hero or a villain.
you can either be the character who is shaped by your settings, or the character that shapes the setting. it's your movie.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
007: i grew up in a place where it was good to be bad. it was bad to be good. it was stupid to be clever. it was clever to be stupid. we never saw good men. we all admired badmen.
but as i get older, things reversed. those who started as outcasts became bosses. those who started as bosses became outcasts. the nerdy looked cool and the cool looked nerdy. those who started with the pen end up in popularity. those who started in popularity ended up in pen.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
006: before art became a sellable commodity, the 'artist' was deemed as the 'village prophet'. they were the ones who would give the locals advice on life. they sang songs and told stories that everybody in the area would understand. they were not untouchable celebrities, they were your next door neighbours.
i feel that time is coming back. a time where we stop trying to make 'hit' songs or 'popular art' and start making stuff that is authentic. art that your postcode can understand.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
005: the night time is as sure as the day. low moments in your life are as sure to happen as the high moments. when they come, learn how to encourage yourself.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
004: i was in southbank with emma warren one time. extremely hard worker. amazing journalist. i asked her if she ever gets writer's block. she replied "no, i get starter's block".
glad i'm not alone.
starting is the hardest part of the creative process. the longer you procrastinate the harder it becomes. i think that's because we think about building a mansion, rather than laying down the small bricks that help make the mansion. for me, the best way to start a project is to do the small tasks that help build my idea. complete one small task after another and your mansion will be built in no time.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
003: had a dream the other night. i was waiting under a bus shelter. beside me stood an indian woman <my age>. beside her stood a white male <also my age>.
in the dream i had a crazy realisation. they were both me. they were me, if i was another race or gender, but they were me.
i realised that when i was staring at them, i was staring at myself. and i must love them like how i love myself.
that was the end of the dream.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
002: you can't wait for life to happen. life is happening now. can't wait for inspiration to to kick in. inspiration is all around you. no hour should mistreated. everyday is a chance to create something new.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance
001: reminded myself this morning that exhaling is as important as inhaling. no matter how many ideas you <inhale>, they are worthless until they are executed and shared <exhale>. if you spend too much time inhaling you'll pass out. the same could be said for when you exhale for too long. breathe easy, creatively speaking.
Andre Anderson - Freedom & Balance